Polish prodigy Marcin Held
stakes his success on leg attacks. So far, so good.

Held submitted UFC veteran Rich
Clementi with a toe hold in the Bellator Fighting Championships
Season 7 lightweight tournament semifinals at
Bellator 81 on Friday at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I.
Clementi (45-22-1, 2-1 Bellator) conceded defeat 3:04 into round
two, his modest three-fight winning streak a thing of the past.

K.
Mills

Held painfully tapped out Clementi.

The 20-year-old Held (15-2, 4-1 Bellator) was relentless in his
pursuit of the finish. The two semifinalists spent virtually the
entire first round trading attempted leg locks, Held moving from
the heel hook to the toe hold to the kneebar. None were successful.
In round two, Clementi scored with a powerful takedown, only to
leave the slightest of openings. Held threaded his leg into
position from the bottom, secured the toe hold and forced Clementi
to submit.

“Rich is a very good, very tough opponent,” Held said. “This is the
best feeling in the world.”

K.
Mills

Jansen slipped by Tirloni via split decision.

Split Verdict Sends Jansen to Final

His game plan heavy on aggression and light on caution,
World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Dave Jansen
eked out a controversial split decision over Ricardo
Tirloni in the Bellator Season 7 lightweight tournament
semifinals. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28, two of them
siding with the 33-year-old Oregonian.

Jansen (18-2, 5-0 Bellator) did his best work in the first round,
where he floored his Brazilian counterpart with a clean left hook
and scored with a pair of takedowns.

Tirloni (15-3, 2-2 Bellator) seemed to bounce back in the second,
as he cracked the Sports Lab representative repeatedly with left
hooks, right crosses and a stiff left jab.

Round three followed a similar narrative, as Tirloni stayed one
step ahead in the standup, beating the American to the punch.
Jansen made his final plea to the judges in the closing seconds, as
he transitioned to Tirloni’s back and scored with a belly-to-back
suplex.

“I’m feeling great,” Jansen said. “I kind of pictured the fight
like that. Tirloni’s definitely got heavy hands. I felt like I was
able to make him miss and make him pay.”

K.
Mills

Sandro choked Neace out cold.

Sandro Choke Finishes Neace

Former Sengoku
champion Marlon
Sandro needed a little more than two minutes to dispatch
Dustin
Neace, as he rendered “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 alum
unconscious with a rear-naked choke 2:05 into the first round of
their featherweight showcase.

Sandro (23-4, 6-2 Bellator) backed up a left hook with a takedown
and moved immediately to side control. The situation only grew more
troubling for Neace (23-19-1, 0-1 Bellator). Sandro transitioned to
his back after an ill-advised heel hook attempt, snaked his arms
around the neck and brought the bout to a close.

The 35-year-old Sandro still has never suffered back-to-back
defeats as a professional.

K.
Mills

Filkins took two rounds from Billstein.

Filkins Stuns German Prospect Billstein

Team Link’s Perry
Filkins recorded the most significant victory of his career, as
he took a unanimous decision from highly touted German prospect
Jonas
Billstein in a featured middleweight battle. All three cageside
judges scored it for Filkins (7-1, 1-0 Bellator) by 30-27, 29-28
and 29-28 counts.

The two middleweights appeared to split the first two rounds,
giving way to a decisive third. There, a Billstein front kick to
the face seemed to get Filkins’ adrenaline pumping. The 24-year-old
American channeled his inner Ric Flair, ramped up his aggression
and stayed busy with heavy power punches.

Filkins sealed it in the final half minute when he moved to full
mount after a fatigued Billstein (10-3, 1-2 Bellator) inexplicably
pulled guard. Punches and elbows were unleashed, sending Filkins to
his fifth consecutive victory.

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